1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the treatment of cancer. The invention, more particularly is directed to the amelioration of side effects caused by chemo and radiation cancer therapies.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Cancers are a leading cause of death in animals and humans. During the past decade, a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy along with surgery has become a standard approach for treatment of cancer patients in the curative as well as in the palliative setting. Though radiation and chemotherapy are successful modalities of cancer therapy, they do not greatly differentiate between cancerous and normal cells. Thus, in the process of killing cancer cells, radiation or chemotherapeutic agents also damage normal tissues leading to systemic toxicity and adverse side effects, which often poses a significant threat to cancer patients. Adverse side effects also greatly limit the maximum allowable dose. Efforts to avoid the toxicity of chemotherapy and radiation therapy have not yielded significant results despite multiple efforts in the past.